Pack a Lunch

If you have been around the Houston area any length of time and like to listen to Christian radio, then you have undoubtedly stumbled upon the radio station 89.3 KSBJ. Every year for the past few years they have encouraged listeners to take the 30-day challenge. This challenge is to listen to only KSBJ for 30 days and see how it impacts their life. This year they have implemented some mini-challenges each day for listeners to consider. Today, as I reflect back on the past 30 days, I am wondering how I am different today than when I was on January 1^st? While I did not set any new year’s resolutions or had any specific goals set for this year, only one thing comes to mind that I have done faithfully for the month…

Pack a lunch.

Yes, that is what I have done faithfully this month…the first ever too. You see my husband is a 6^th grade math teacher and everyday he needs a lunch to eat. My attitude, ashamed to say, over the last three years has been…”He is old enough to make his own lunch. If he is hungry, he can take the time to throw something together without me having to do it every day. Besides, he never remembers to bring the lunch bag home and then we end up with all of the bags at school and I don’t have anything to put it in but a Wal-mart sack.” I know it sounds harsh and not June Cleaverish, but that has been my attitude. Yes, I did make his lunch most days, but only out of duty. For some reason, however, when Scott went back to work after Christmas break, my attitude had changed. I couldn’t tell you exactly what it was or that I intentionally said, “I am going to make Scott’s lunch for him every day,” but I began to view my role as a wife to support my husband in this small little area of our marriage and something amazing happened…

He brought his lunch bag home.

I know it sounds just as trite as packing a lunch for him, but for the first time ever, he brought his lunch bag home every day that I made a lunch for him to take! We went the whole week with me making his lunch and him bringing the bag home. We were both amazed that first Friday when we acknowledged what had occurred. Secretly for me, it became a game. Let’s see who can be the first to mess this new routine up. Will it be me not making a lunch for him or will it be Scott not remembering to bring his lunch bag home? Well, here we are at the end of the month and…

Both of us keep winning.

Of course there were several days during the course of the month when I did not want to get out of my warm bed and pack one for him because I had forgotten the night before, but I remembered my game I had secretly began to play and slowly dragged myself into the kitchen to make him his lunch and some hot tea to take. Those were the days when he brought his lunch bag home that I knew he really did appreciate having a lunch to take and by bringing his bag home showed me my extra efforts were not for loss.

This morning as I opened up my bible to my proverb for the day, I was greeted with Proverbs 31. Oh no, the infamous Proverbs 31 woman. As I was already reflecting over the last 30 days and how I had changed, I knew for certain I was not going to measure up to this woman. She far surpasses even June Cleaver. But God, in His special way, encouraged me with verses 11 and 12…

“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.”

God was saying to me that my simple act of supporting my husband through giving him a good lunch every day instead of a lack of lunch as he bought his lunch from the school cafeteria, was enabling Scott to build more trust in me as his loving wife. In return, as I began to see Scott’s trust in me increase, demonstrated through bringing his lunch bag home every day, Scott was unknowingly enabling me to reward him with a good lunch instead of the evil cafeteria food.

My Heart’s Prayer: Lord, thank you for the simple lessons through packing a lunch. Thank you for a husband who loves and cherishes me. Help me to be a wife that Scott can put his trust in to give him good and not evil all the days of my life. Help me to be a lovable wife, worthy of being cherished and not one who is resentful or bitter. In Jesus Name, Amen.